More cash for B.C. schools to operate bus service

Some B.C. school districts are already jumping at the opportunity for more cash to run their school bus service.

Many districts were considering charging families, or increasing fees, to deal with budget shortfalls.

But now the provincial government says its making almost 15-million dollars available under a new “student transportation fund.”

Chair of the Maple Ridge School Board, Mike Murray, says parents were going to be forced to fork out around $200 per child to ride the bus, but now that won’t happen.

“Hind sight is always 20/20, It would have been great if we had known that this additional funding was available a year ago to save us all going through the angst that we have gone through over the last year, but having said that, I appreciate government has difficult decisions to make as well.”

School districts have until the end of September to apply for the funding.